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1. Chapter Eight: Water Resource Management Policy
Goal of Water Resources Management Policy
• The overall goal of Water Resources Policy is to enhance and promote all national
efforts towards the efficient, equitable and optimum utilization of the available
Water Resources of Ethiopia for significant socioeconomic development on
sustainable basis.
General Water Resources Management Policy Objectives
The objectives are:-
• 1. Development of the water resources of the country for economic and social
benefits of the people, on equitable and sustainable basis.

2. Cont..
2. Allocation and apportionment of water, based on comprehensive and integrated
plans and optimum allocation principles that incorporate efficiency of use, equity of
access, and sustainability of the resource.
3. Managing and combating drought as well as other associated slow on-set disasters
through, efficient allocation, redistribution, transfer, storage and efficient use of
water resources.
4. Combating and regulating floods through sustainable mitigation, prevention,
rehabilitation and other practical measures.

3. 5. Conserving, protecting and enhancing water resources and the overall aquatic
environment on sustainable basis.
Fundamental Principles of Water Resources Management Policy
The following are the fundamental policy principles that guide the equitable,
sustainable and efficient development, utilization, conservation and protection of
water resources in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Water Resources Management Policy
1. Water is a natural endowment commonly owned by all the peoples of Ethiopia.
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4. 2. As far as conditions permit, every Ethiopian citizen shall have access to sufficient
water of acceptable quality, to satisfy basic human needs.
3. In order to significantly contribute to development, water shall be recognized both
as an economic and a social good.
4. Water resources development shall be underpinned on rural-centered,
decentralized management, participatory approach as well as integrated framework.
5. Management of water resources shall ensure social equity economic
efficiently, systems reliability and sustainability norms.
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5. 6. Promotion of the participation of all stakeholders, user communities;
particularly women's participation in the relevant aspects of water resources
management.
Terminology in water resource management policy
1. Water Resources Management (WRM):-Water resources development,
utilization, conservation, protection and control that incorporates physical, social,
economic as well as environmental interdependence,
2. Comprehensive Water Resources Management:-Involves treating all the
activities that use water (water supply, irrigation, hydropower, etc.) irrespective of
whose mandate it is.
Cont..

6. 5. Riparian Country /Countries:-A Country/countries through or along which
portion of a transboundary river flows or a common water body lies on.
6. River Basin: - A geographical area described by the watershed limits of a water
system including surface and underground water flowing into a common
boundary.
8. Stakeholder:- Organization group or individual that is concerned with or has an
interest in water resources and that would be affected by decisions about water
resources management. Ethiopian Water Resources Management Policy
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7. 9. Strategies:- are tools developed for the implementation of policies and to meet
objectives. These constitute the general framework of activities to be undertaken
through time to meet previously defined objectives and endorsed policies.
10. Unaccounted for water:- The difference between the volume of water
delivered to a supply system and the volume of water accounted for by legitimate
consumption.
12. Water Resources Assessment (WRA):- An assessment of the aspects of the
supply and demand for water resources.
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8. 13. Water Resources Development (WRD):- Physical activities to improve the
beneficial use of water for different uses.
15.Watershed Management:- A process of formulating and implementing a
course of action that involves a region's natural and human resources taking into
account social, political, economic, environmental and institutional factors
operating within a watershed, the surrounding river basin, and other relevant
regions to achieve desired social objectives
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9. Water Resource Management Policy at national level
17. Wet Lands:- Areas of marsh, fen, peat and, or water, whether natural or
artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh,
brackish or salt including areas of marine water less than six meters deep at low
tide.
18.Transboundary waters: - International rivers traversing adjacent countries
or water bodies shared by riparian neighboring states.
19. Water Services Fee (charge):- Fees charged for water supply services only.

10. • The Ethiopian Water Resources Management Proclamation, issued in March
2000 (Proclamation No.197/2000), is currently the basic legal instrument
governing the management, planning, utilization and protection of water
resources in Ethiopia
• The Proclamation provides the fundamental principles that need to be taken into
account for the management and administration of the water resources in the
country (Article 6).
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11. • The MoWR (currently the Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Energy) is
designated as the ‘Supervising body’ at the Federal level where it pertains to
water resources “at the central level”, or any organ delegated by the Ministry.
• However, it is clearly provided that the MoWR may delegate its powers and
duties given to it under the Proclamation to an appropriate body for the effective
execution of its responsibilities (Articles 2.7 and 8.2).
• Accordingly, the Mo WR may delegate all or some of its powers and duties to
Regions or river basin organizations as and when it deems it necessary
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12. The Supervising body (Ministry) has been given broad powers under the
Proclamation which include:
 the establishment of an inventory of water resources and registry(record
office) of actions;
 issuing permits of professional competence as well as for water use and
construction;
 allocation of water resources;
 establishing required standards for the design and construction of waterworks
and monitoring;
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13.  Issue guidelines and directives for the prevention of pollution of water
resources as well as for water quality and health standards in consultation
with other concerned public bodies (Article 8.1).
A major aspect of the water resources Proclamation is that most water
resources use and construction works are to be based on a permit system with
priority to be given to domestic use.
Domestic Use” is defined as the use of water for drinking, cooking,
sanitation, or other domestic purposes” (Article 2.2)
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14. Water Resource Management Policy at basin level
1.Riparian Rights
This system has developed from original times. Basically, the right to use
water comes from the occupation of land bordering a watercourse, such land
being termed riparian land.
It is based on a system of normal law and has been exported to many varying
countries, i.e., from England to Australia and from France to Africa; in
modern times, it has radically modified by systematization.

15. By strict definition, a riparian owner is entitled to the benefit from the natural flow
of the watercourse bordering his land.
He should receive the water from his immediate upstream neighbor and fellow
riparian owner without a material change in its quality or quantity and pass it on to
his downstream neighbor in a similar state.
He is entitled to the use of the water which flows past his riparian land for his
ordinary use; this is usually accepted as being for the use of his household and his
domestic cattle
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16. In customary or common law, linked to a riparian rights system, an owner of land is
entitled to abstract water from an underground aquifer without restriction and
irrespective of the effect on other persons, provided the water is percolating
underground.
2.Prior Appropriation System
Appropriator = someone who takes for his/her own use without permission
The principle here is “first in time, first in right,” which means that the earliest
abstractor or appropriator has a right superior to any later appropriator.
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17. • A later appropriator can only appropriate what is left by earlier appropriators
• At times of low flow, the “first in time” appropriator can claim the whole amount
irrespective of the effect on later appropriators
• This system, which goes back to Roman times, was adopted by the Western States
of the United States of America in its early days.
3.Administrative Disposition of Water-use Rights
• This system, of which there are many variants, has one common factor; water in
the country concerned is abstracted by the permission of either the government or
some other authority controlling water use.
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18. • In this system, it is particularly apposite to consider the basic ownership of water.
• There can be full state ownership where all water, surface and underground, is the
property of the country or state; there can be systems where all surface water is
owned by the state, with all underground water privately owned or with the
ownership unspecified.
• State ownership with permits for use is a development of the doctrine of early
appropriation, with the water rights of individuals or industries depending on
either permits or licenses to abstract or on rights previously obtained by long
usage, custom, statutes or court judgments.
Cont..

19. River Basin Councils and Authorities Proclamation
Currently, there has been a significant delegation of the mandates of the
MoWIEc to River Basin Councils and Authorities
The approach taken in Ethiopia currently is to decentralize water
resources planning and management functions to RBOs at the basin
level.
Accordingly, RBOs are to be established phase-by-phase in each of the
river basins of the country and most of the functions of the Federal
government delegated to such river basin organizations

20. • The River Basin Councils and Authorities Proclamation was issued in July 2007
(Proclamation No. 534/2007).
• The Proclamation is envisaged as an enabling legislation for the establishment of
RBOs for each river basin of the country by following minor legislation.
• To this effect, the Proclamation provides that River Basin High Councils and
Authorities shall be established by Regulations to be issued by the Council of
Ministers (Article 3.1).
• The Proclamation provides for a two-tier organizational set-up for the RBOs to be
established, namely,
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21.  River Basin High Councils being the highest policy and strategic decision-
making body and
 River Basin Authorities, which will be the administrative/technical arm of
the respective Basin High Councils.
Article 6 of the Proclamation gives the following powers and responsibilities to the
BHCs:
 Provide policy guidance and planning oversight to ensure high level
coordination among stakeholders for the implementation of IWRM in the basin;
 Direct the preparation of the river basin plans and submit same for approval to
the Government;

22. Propose to the Government the rate of water charges to be paid by water
users in the basin;
BHCs power and responsibility…
 Examine and decide on the appropriateness and prioritization of
constructing major water works in the basin;
 Examine and decide on water allocation rules and principles in normal
times and in times of water shortage as well as in times of drought or
flooding;
 Manage water use disputes between Regional States in the basin;
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23.  Provide information and advisory support to the body in charge of
negotiating with neighboring countries with respect to the basin
where the basin is part of a trans-boundary basin
 Establish standing or ad-hoc committees necessary for discharging
specific activities
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